


A Perfectly Good Opportunity

by A Crimson Phoenix (cw151)



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Love Confessions, Matchmaking, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-15 01:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13602363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cw151/pseuds/A%20Crimson%20Phoenix
Summary: “Sorry to disappoint but Karen and I are just friends, sweetheart,” he said.“What? Why?” Leo looked at him dumbstruck.“’cos we are,” Frank shot back. “And that’s that. You’re too young to be askin’ me questions like that.”“Not too young to see a perfectly good opportunity when there is one,” Leo murmured back.Leo is determined to make Karen and Frank happen. A power couple, just like Beyoncé and Jay-Z.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based off an anonymous prompt on tumblr: 
> 
> "Leo being the kastle shipper #1 so she tries to make frank jealous inventing things about karen seeing other guys and she tells Karen how frank is always saying that anyone would be too lucky to be with an amazing woman like her and stuff like that. + Sarah & David pretending they don’t know what she’s trying to do bc they secretly want them to be together too." 
> 
> Enjoy!

Frank had known that bringing Karen to meet the Liebermans was a bad idea.

 

What he hadn’t foreseen was that the biggest problem wasn’t fucking Lieberman, but too-smart-for-her-own-good Leo.

From the second Karen had walked through the Liebermans’ front door, Leo had turned into her biggest fan. At first, she’d been quite shy around Karen, smiling sheepishly and not really looking at her.

 

20 minutes later, however, once they’d sat down for lunch, and Sarah complimented Karen on a recent article she’d written, Leo’s curiosity took over, and she shot question after question at Karen, asking everything there was to know about journalism and Karen’s work specifically. All the while, her eyes got bigger and bigger at Karen’s answers. To her credit, Karen was doing everything she could to leave out the most dangerous and gruesome details, like visiting crime scenes and being the target of criminals all over New York, but still – Leo was obsessed.

 

The next Sunday, Frank came to lunch alone once again, and was presented with Leo’s research skills that resembled Karen’s impressively.

“Did you know that she uncovered a ring of Italian restaurants being used as fronts for the mafia? And that she helped the police identify the biggest drug lord on the East Coast? And that she has 1.2 million followers on twitter?” she asked Frank excitedly.

Frank just hummed in confirmation.

“Do you think gets scared sometimes when she investigates a story?” Leo asked thoughtfully.

Frank smirked, more to himself than to her.

“Yeah, everyone gets scared. But she knows how to take care of herself. And if that’s not enough I help her out sometimes,” he replied as he helped himself to more salad.

“That is so cool. You’re a power couple, just like Beyoncé and Jay-Z,” Leo gushed.

Frank unceremoniously dumped the salad on his plate and turned to face her as he licked some dressing of his thumb.

“Sorry to disappoint but Karen and I are just friends, sweetheart,” he said.

“What? Why?” Leo looked at him dumbstruck.

Across the table, David and Sarah snickered.

“’cos we are,” Frank shot back. “And that’s that. You’re too young to be askin’ me questions like that.”

“Not too young to see a perfectly good opportunity when there is one,” Leo murmured back.

Frank flicked a finger at her ear. “Eat your greens,” he said.

 

Of course it didn’t end there. On the contrary, Leo had only just started.

_“Pete did you see that Karen interviewed the mayor? He posted it on his Instagram. It says he felt honoured to talk to such a well-spoken, smart and beautiful woman like her!”_

Frank internally rolled his eyes at the WhatsApp message, in which Leo had helpfully included said picture of the recently-elected, mid-thirty mayor who looked more like a celebrity than a politician in the selfie he’d taken with Karen. That guy was such an asshole anyway. The only reason he’d managed to get himself elected was because he knew how to make himself look good in pictures.

 _“Yeah, kid, I know. She said he was a real sleazebag_ ,” Frank typed back.

“ _Why is she smiling so happily then?_ ” came Leo’s prompt reply.

 Frank didn’t answer.


	2. Chapter 2

“ _Pete did you know Karen was Junior Miss Outdoor Vermont???_ ” 

“ _Yeah_ ” 

“ _She’s sooo talented don’t you think?”_

“ _Think no-one would deny that_ ”

“ _You should tell her that she’s talented next time you see her._

_I’m sure she’d like that”_

_“Why don’t you tell her?”_

 

 

 

“ _Hi Karen, this is Leo. Pete gave me your number. Can I interview you for an essay I have to write? It’s for Ethics class._ ” 

_“Sure, I’d be happy to help. Do you want to meet this week?_

_I could come by in the evening.”_

_“Awesome, thank you! Would Thursday work for you?”_

_“Yes, no problem. Is it ok if I come by at 7?”_

_“Yes, that'd perfect. Thank you so much!_

_Pete already said that you were one of the kindest people he’s ever met. :)”_

_“:) He really is the sweetest.”_

_“Yes, totally. You should tell him that.”_

_“Maybe someday ;)”_

 

A few days later Karen sat in the Liebermans’ living room and patiently answered all the questions Leo threw at her.

 

“… so before we can publish anything we have to confirm it with at least two different sources, ideally even more,” Karen said as Leo typed away on her computer.

“Ok. And has anyone ever tried to stop you from writing about them before?” Leo asked.

“Yes, that happens a lot, actually. If it involves influential people like politicians or rich families, we often get a call threatening to ruin my editor’s and my career if we publish the story in question. But so far, none of them have delivered on those threats. Usually because they are already neck-deep in criminal investigations as a result of what we published,” Karen said with a mischievous smile.

“And has anyone ever tried to bribe you to stop you from writing something or to make you change it?” Leo asked as she kept typing away.

“Yeah, that happens too. But not a lot. Do you know the Chadwicks? They’re a really rich family who’ve made their money with media all over the world. Thomas Chadwick has been sending me flowers and candy and invitations to expensive events. I think he might know that I’m onto his family’s plan to quietly take over communal TV stations all over the country which would result in them having almost ten times the viewership of any other TV station. Something like that should be on the radar of anti-trust authorities, but for whatever reason, they’re not acting on it. So I’m putting together a story, and I think the Chadwicks know about that.”

 

“This guy?” Leo pushed the laptop towards Karen. The browser showed an image search for Thomas Chadwick, who was blonde, blue-eyed, and very toned.

“Yep, that’s him,” Karen confirmed.

“He looks like a super model!” Leo said seemingly in awe.

“Yeah, I guess so. He’s not really my type,” Karen said with a shrug.

“What’s your type?” Leo followed up immediately.

“Is that part of the interview as well?” Karen asked with a bemused look.

“Maybe?” Leo grinned.

Karen’s face softened.

“I don’t like blond guys, they’re so boyish,” she said. “I prefer it when guys have dark hair and brown eyes.”

“Like Pete?” Leo asked innocently. “He’s really good looking, isn’t he?”

Karen’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, he is. But now we’re really straying off-topic. Any other questions?”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Leo asked.

“Questions on Ethics in Journalism,” Karen said with a warning voice.

“If you don’t have a boyfriend, maybe you could ask Pete out some time. I read that the best relationships are built on friendships and you two are really good friends. I think you two would be perfect for each other,” Leo continued unperturbed.

An unreadable expression crossed Karen’s features.

“Sweetie, I don’t think Pete is ready for that. He lost his whole family and it’s going to take a long time until he’ll be able to have a girlfriend again. Just think about what it was like when you thought your dad had died. Imagine that for Pete and his whole family,” she said gently.

Leo bit her lip and looked down on her keyboard.

“It’s really wonderful that you care so much about Pete’s happiness,” Karen continued. “But the best thing we can all do right now is just to be there for him.”

Leo nodded.


	3. Chapter 3

“Pete, what do you think of Thomas Chadwick?” Leo asked as she passed Frank the tools he needed to fix the boiler he was currently hunched under.

“Thomas who?” Frank asked as he was wrenching in some screws.

“Thomas Chadwick. You know, the guy whose dad owns all those TV stations and newspapers all over the world and who looks like a super-model,” Leo detailed patiently.

“Don’t know him. Should I?” Frank replied.

“Duh, yeah! Hasn’t Karen told you? He’s trying his hardest to win her over. He’s been sending her chocolates and flowers and invitations to parties,” Leo replied nonchalantly.

Frank hit his head on the boiler and bit back a curse.

“That so, huh? Can’t be too important, can he, if she’s not even telling all her friends about him,” he said as he carefully extracted himself from where he’d been lying under the boiler.

“She told _me_ ,” Leo said. “I wonder why she didn’t tell you. Maybe it’s because she’s not 100% sure yet if she likes him. She usually prefers guys with dark hair and brown eyes like you. But Tom is trying really hard. Maybe she’ll change her mind.”

“I’m sure she’s going to decide what’s right for her. She deserves the best,” Frank said as he wiped his hands off with a towel and then made his way over to the next sink to check the result of his work on the boiler.

Leo rolled her eyes with an annoyed sigh.

 

 

To Leo’s horror, things only got more difficult from there. While she’d only told Frank about Tom Chadwick’s attentions towards Karen to make him react, Karen actually seemed to start to like them, contrary to what she said in her conversation with Leo. For one, she started to post pictures of the flowers and chocolates she now seemed to be receiving daily on her personal Instagram account, and then she also actually started to hang out at the parties that Tom Chadwick must have invited her to. There were countless pictures of the two online that showed them standing close to each other, both dressed to the nines and looking absolutely gorgeous, and usually in deep conversation. Then, one Sunday, when Karen posted a picture of a beautiful, golden sequin dress with a caption that hinted that she’d be going to the Annual Grand Television Gala that night, hosted by Chadwick Media, Leo had had enough.

 

 

“Pete, you have to do something about this,” she stated, holding out her phone with the photo of the dress to him after lunch.

Frank just stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Sweetheart, I have no idea what you mean,” he said slowly.

Leo huffed.

“Karen is going to the Annual Grand Television Gala tonight. She was invited by Tom Chadwick, and she’s going to wear this dress which means that she’ll look absolutely amazing,” she said impatiently.

Frank just continued to look at her and made a small gesture that implied “so what?”.

“Do you really want to watch her date that Chadwick douche when she could be with you?” Leo asked. “I know she actually wants you and not him. I asked her about it. The only reason why she’s not making a move is because she thinks that you don’t want a girlfriend. But she clearly doesn’t see the way you’re making googly eyes at her every time you two are together or anyone talks about her.”

“’m not making googly eyes at anyone,” Frank shot back. “Think you’ve been watching too many of those teen movies.”

“You’re totally making googly eyes at her and you should do something about it. Otherwise someone like Tom is going to come along and she’ll date him!” Leo insisted.

“If that Chadwick guy makes her happy then that’s exactly who she should be with,” Frank replied stubbornly.

“Not if she doesn’t even know that you like her too. Maybe she doesn’t actually want to settle for anyone else,” Leo said hotly.

In that moment, Sarah and David came back from the kitchen.

“What’s going on here?” Sarah asked and put a hand on her hip.

Leo crossed her arms.

“Karen is going to an event with Thomas Chadwick tonight and Frank is too chicken to do something about it,” she said provocatively.

David just raised his eyebrows and Sarah licked her lips to hide an amused grin.

“’n I’ve been tryin’ to explain to your daughter here that Karen can date whoever she wants,” Frank replied, exasperatedly.

“Does that include you?” David asked with mirth in his eyes.

Frank stilled and he narrowed his eyes.

“You all teamin’ up on me now or what?” he asked grumpily.

“I think Leo’s right. If you are an option, then Karen should know about it,” Sarah said with a defensive gesture. “Anyway, Leo, help clear the table, please.”

Frank just huffed again and also grabbed two bowls.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night, Frank found himself outside Madison Square Garden where the Annual Grand Television Gala was taking place. He’d parked his van in an alleyway nearby, and was looking up at the venue pensively. He was by one of the smaller entrances that still had high security due to the large number of celebrities inside of the building, but it was nothing Frank couldn’t sneak by if he wanted.

 

If he wanted being the crucial point here.

 

Karen was in there, he’d seen it online. She’d arrived about an hour ago, accompanied by that Chadwick prick.

And the Liebermans were right. For Karen to be able to make the best choice, she’d have to know all the options available for her. Including him.

And he definitely was an option if she wanted. Christ, he was crazy about her. But he was also broken and would probably always be on the run some way or another. And that was something Karen definitely did not deserve. Unless she wanted it, of course, because Karen deserved anything she wanted.

Frank cursed and wrinkled his nose briefly. He couldn’t believe that this was an actual train of thought he was having. He felt like he was in a goddamn soap opera.  

 

A flash of gold in the corner of his eyes interrupted his deliberations. Karen was briskly walking out the door he’d been watching, past him in the shadow of a column.

Frank called out to her. Karen’s head whipped around, and an immense relief crossed her features.

“Frank! Thank God. Is your van anywhere near? I really need to get out of here,” she said hastily as she threw a look over her shoulder towards the door she’d just come through.

Frank scowled.

“Yeah, ‘s right around the corner. What happened?” he asked, pulling her into the shadows with her.

“Chadwick and his people are after me. I may have taped a secret meeting he had with the heads of all regional and communal television stations in the country just now,” Karen said, slightly out of breath.

Frank sighed and reached into his pocket for his gun. In that moment, the building door burst opened and a bunch of security people stormed out. Frank pushed Karen further behind the column, took off his coat and draped it around her.

“They’ll find us in no time with you looking like a goddamn disco ball,” Frank said. He held her behind him as he peeked around the column and raised the gun he was holding in his right hand.

“They’re down the street. Let’s go. Keep the coat on,” he said. He grabbed one of her hands with left and the two of them crossed the street in quick strides.

 

Once they’d reached Frank’s van in the alley, he opened the back for her.

“You should stay out of sight.” Karen nodded and climbed in as instructed.

“We gotta stay away from your place, ‘s not safe. We’re going to mine,” Frank said matter-of-factly as he started up the van.

He navigated the van slowly down the street. Chadwick’s goons were still racing about looking for Karen, but didn’t pay the vehicle any attention. Still, Frank remained tense until they reached his place and he’d locked the door thoroughly.

“Thank you,” Karen said. She looked sheepishly around. It occurred to Frank that she’d never actually been to his place, he’d only been to hers.

Frank just nodded in response. Karen slowly took off his coat and handed it back to him.

Leo had been right. Karen looked amazing. Stunning, really. The dress complimented her figure in all the right places, her hair hung in loose curls over one of her shoulders, and her eyes were as bright as usual. She looked completely out of place in his simple apartment.

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t want to impose. I’ll be out of your hair right away. I’ll get a hotel room nearby,” Karen said apologetically.

“No,” Frank said curtly. “You’re gonna stay here. Can have my bed. ’s too dangerous, we don’t know if they tracked us ‘n who else is looking for you with them. ‘m sure that Chadwick guy’s got connections.”

Karen bit her lip.

“Okay, but I’m taking the couch. There’s no way I’m kicking you out of your own bed,” she said determinedly.

Frank didn’t reply to that and only walked into his bedroom. A few seconds later, he re-emerged with a pair of sweats, socks, a t-shirt and a hoodie in his hands.

“’m guessin’ you wanna change. From what I know ‘bout dresses, the better they make ya look the more uncomfortable they are,” he said, not quite meeting Karen’s eyes as he held the bundle in his arms out to her.

Karen blushed lightly.

“Thanks,” she said, a bit off-balance.

“Bathroom’s over there, fresh towels on the shelf inside. You want some tea?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Karen said. She ran a hand through her hair and then made her way towards the door Frank had indicated.

 

Karen let out a relieved sigh when she stepped out of the high-heels she was wearing. She’d rented them together with the dress, but they were far higher than shoes that she’d usually wear. The dress, too, she was happy to shed. While she did have to admit that it had made her look really good tonight, the sequins were scratching against her inner arms painfully.

In comparison, Frank’s soft clothes felt like heaven. When she put them on, Karen noticed that they smelled like him, too, and that it had a very heart-warming effect on her.

She tied her hair up with a band she had in her clutch, quickly e-mailed the audio file to Ellison and uploaded it to a secure server for good measure, and then got rid of her make-up as well as she could without make-up remover.

 

When she left the bathroom, Frank held out a cup of tea and a plate with a sandwich for her.

“Didn’t know if you ate already,” he said.

“I didn’t, thanks,” Karen said. She placed her gown and hand bag on a nearby chest of drawers, placed her heels underneath them and took the tea and sandwich from Frank. He grabbed another plate with a sandwich for himself and a cup of coffee, and the two of them settled on the couch.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Karen placed her cup and her plate on the coffee table and looked at Frank.

 

“Are you angry with me?” she asked quietly.

Frank paused. His gaze flickered briefly to her and then back to his coffee.

“’m just…” He fixed her with a stern gaze. “Why’d you not tell me what you ’ere doin’ there tonight? They’d have got you in 2 minutes if I hadn’t been there.”

Karen bit her lip and looked away sheepishly.

“I wasn’t sure if their meeting would take place tonight,” she said. Then she frowned. “Why _were_ you there?”

Frank swallowed the last bite of his sandwich and placed his plate next to hers.

“Leo said she’d seen online that you ‘ere going to be there. Wanted to talk to you ‘bout somethin’,” he replied slowly.

“And what’s that?” Karen asked as tucked her legs underneath her and turned to face him more fully.

 

Frank put his cup on the table and briefly rested his forearms on his knees as he seemed to collect his thoughts. Then he leant back against the couch again and looked at her.

 

“So that whole Chadwick-thing – acceptin’ the stuff he sent you and hangin’ out with him – was just to get close to him?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Karen replied. “Why?”

Frank shrugged. “Been wonderin’. Didn’t seem like you type. But as far as New York’s bachelors go, he would ‘ave been a good catch.”

“You mean before he sent his goons after me?” Karen asked with a small smile. Frank tilted his head to underline what she was saying.

“If he hadn’t been involved in some shady business I wouldn’t even have accepted his attentions,” Karen said. “Eligible bachelor or not, he _really_ isn’t my type.”

Frank pursed his lips to hide a smug smirk.

“Yeah, I heard about that,” he said, fixing her with an amused look. “Leo told me all about it.”

Karen exasperatedly closed her eyes and shook her head. “That girl will stop at nothing, will she?”

Frank shook his head. “Not likely,” he confirmed. “Although she’s quite a valuable source. Thought you’d like that as a journalist.”  
Karen’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no! What else did she tell you?” she asked.

Frank’s playful expression slowly fell and became contemplative.

“She said you think I don’t want a girlfriend,” he said calmly. “That true?”

Karen blinked.

“Well, ah, kind of, yeah. I mean …  I _assumed_ given what happened – that it would take a while until you’d be remotely interested in anything like that again,” she stuttered.

Frank nodded thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I get that,” he said. “Truth is, I don’t think I’ll ever get over them, you know?”

Karen nodded sympathetically.

“I understand,” she said earnestly as she placed a hand on his arm. “No-one should expect you to ever get over them.” 

“So you’re right when you think ‘m not interested in anything like that again,” Frank said. “’m not looking for a repeat. But I am looking for a new start. After, I think you called it.” His gaze on her became almost shy. Karen still sat on the couch unmoving.

Frank reached for her hand that was still lying on his arm and threaded his fingers through hers.

“Karen, you’re After for me, ok? I don’t ever want anyone else. If you don’t feel that way, if you just wanna be friends, that’s fine, ok? I’ma deal with that. But Karen, don’t ever think I wouldn’t want you. Cos I do. I do,” Frank said, his voice rough.

Karen stared at him and swallowed. Then a small smile spread across her features and her fingers gripped at his tightly.

“I want you, too,” she said. “God I do. But I also don’t want to put any pressure on you. Whatever time you need, I’m fine with it. I mean that. Don’t feel like you have to - “

“Karen,” Frank interrupted her with a chuckle. “I get it. You’re still too good for your own good. But I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it. I want you, Karen, and if you feel the same way ‘bout me we should stop dancin’ ‘round each other.”

Karen nodded sheepishly. She hesitantly reached up with her free hand to cup his cheek, and Frank nuzzled it before placing a soft kiss on to her palm. Then he leant forwards, brushed her bottom lip with his free thumb, and gently kissed her.

 

The next Sunday, Frank and Karen walked up to the Lieberman house hand in hand. When Karen was about to ring the doorbell, the front door opened to reveal Leo. Her eyes fell to their joint hands, and she fist-pumped.

“Yesss! Power couple! Finally! Took you long enough,” she exclaimed. In the background, Sarah and David didn’t even try to hide their smirks.

Leo was already half-way back in the kitchen when she yelled out.

“Dibs on being maid of honour at your wedding!”


End file.
